12 September 2011

Thomas wakes up in the total dark in a small room. He can't remember any details of his life--no last name, no parents, no mental image of his hometown. He senses that the room is moving up, like an elevator. When it finally stops and the doors are thrown open, he finds himself surrounded by strangers and in a strange land. All around him are teenage boys--no girls, no adults. How did he get there? What kind of place is it? Who are these boys? Why can't he remember?

James Dashner's The Maze Runner is the first book in a young adult dystopian trilogy. The reader knows only what Thomas knows and thus explores the dangerous and mysterious world of the Glade and Maze along with him.

Thomas quickly finds out that each boy in the Glade has the same type of amnesia and also arrived via the dark elevator. Each month on the same day at the same time, a new boy is introduced to the group. Outside the Glade is the Maze, which changes each night and is inhabited by deadly creatures. No one has yet solved the Maze or figured out its purpose.

Although there is quite a bit of action (squabbles among the boys, fights to death with the creatures) and a sense of mystery (what is the purpose of the Maze, who sent the boys there), the novel isn't very captivating. There are a few problems that stand out. First, the entire story takes place in a very short time, making Thomas's mastery of new skills and quick adjustment seem unrealistic. Second, the characters remained vague and were not vividly portrayed. I was unable to develop a clear picture of Thomas or any other character. Third, the solution to the mystery of the Maze seemed somewhat contrived, and it was unrealistic that no one had discovered any of the clues before Thomas showed up.

Most annoying, however, was despite the fact that Thomas had no memories, he was constantly sure that he'd never felt or done [fill in the blank] before. How could he be sure, when he doesn't remember anything specific about his life before the Glade?

I'm not sure why the The Maze Runner was a miss for me because it has been the recipient of a number of awards and honors. The novel was a 2009 winner from both Kirkus Reviews and the Kid's Indie Next List, was nominated in 2011 for the Tennessee Volunteer State Book Master List, was a 2011 winner of a Kentucky Bluegrass award, and was nominated for the 2012 Connecticut Nutmeg Children's Book Master List. Before taking my word for it, check out some other other reviews.

I listened to the unabridged audio edition (Listening Library, 10 hr, 50 min) read by Mark Deakins. Deakins is veteran narrator (although new to me) who was able to keep my attention throughout the book. I'm sure I would have abandoned The Maze Runner had I read it in print. Deakins's accents helped me keep the characters straight, and he brought a spark to the action scenes.
To learn more about the trilogy, visit the Maze Runner website. More about author James Dashner can be found on his blog. This review will be linked to Kid Konnection, hosted by Julie at Booking Mama.

23
comments:

This book was all the rage there for awhile, but I did hear enough grumblings that I held off. (Plus the library didn't have the audio - ha!). I guess maybe I'll save it for a potential kid-mom book...

I also remember when this book was very popular, and people were just going nuts over it. I think I ended up buying a copy for my kids, but I never read it. I think you have some very thoughtful perceptions on why this book missed the mark, and I would have probably wondered the same things. It is too bad that this one didn't hold up well, because the premise is rather interesting.

Awwww, I'm sad that this one didn't work for you. It is a bit of a rough and tumble read though. Not a lot of positivity or brightness. Good news is that you know what you like and you can avoid the remaining two in the series. :)

I remember reading many reviews about this book and felt like I saw it on every other blog. So when I opened your blog just now and saw the picture of The Maze Runner I wondered "Why haven't I read this book or at least tripped over it on my tbr list?" and then I read your review. I remember getting the idea that the book wasn't as good as it sounded. With all of the books there are, the line's got to be drawn somewhere!Thank you for a terrific & honest review.

It's kind of funny that this book would show up on your blog right now. I was just looking at my bookshelf last night and considering downgrading this book from a four-star to a three-star rating on goodreads. I liked it well enough when I first read it; but here it is a couple of years later and my reaction to it is "meh." I never did put the sequel on my "Must Reads List" :-/

I really wanted to love this as so many other people raved and still rave about it and its sequel. I just found it flat for me. I read it right after The Hunger Games so maybe my expectations were just too high? :O/

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I'm a freelance book editor, reviewer, and journalist blogging as Beth Fish. On these pages, you'll find book reviews, book features, and other bookish content. I like to spotlight my favorite imprints and I'm a long-time audiobook lover. (I was the Audio Publishers Association's 2016 Audiobook Blogger of the Year!) Each Saturday I host my popular Weekend Cooking feature. Don't forget to look for my weekly photograph. You can find me on social media as @BethFishReads. Publicists, publishers, authors: please see my review policy. NB: I did not work on any book mentioned on this site.

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